Middlesbrough Reads are supporting the Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation’s community work with a donation of 300 books. The books will be distributed alongside food parcels that are being delivered to local families during the Covid-19 crisis.
According to our research more than 19,000 children in the North East say they don’t have a single book of their own at home. Our research also suggests that those who do own are twice as likely to have good mental wellbeing compared to those who don’t, meaning that thousands of children are missing out.
We worked in partnership with the School Readiness Team at Middlesbrough Council to gift copies of the BookTrust’s My Pet Star for early years children (aged 0 – 5), along with a range of exciting chapter books suitable for older children.
Author Iona Tulloch also generously donated 100 copies of her nature inspired book Lonesome Bog and Little Dog (beautifully illustrated by Harry Woodgate) to support our local campaigns across the country. Donations like these enable us to get books into the hands of children who need them most.
"We wanted to do something for children who are holed up with limited access to outside space. Lonesome Bog and Little Dog is a celebration of friendship, wild places and overcoming tough times. It's a way of bringing the outside indoors for a few blissful moments."
Iona Tulloch, Author of Lonesome Bog and Little Dog
"I am delighted to be able to continue to work with the MFC Foundation during these uncertain times. Middlesbrough FC and the MFC Foundation work tirelessly to promote the importance of reading, and literacy skills more broadly within the community and are great partners to work with. Hopefully the children in the families who receive these books will enjoy sharing the stories together and provide a distraction from what is going on around them!"
Allison Potter, Middlesbrough Reads Manager